A Routine to Help You Rise Through Grief
Caging the Open Heart
Our hearts are caged in bones. If we are sad, the concave shape our shoulders and chest create forms huge layer that hinders our health and well-being. Inflammation from stress throws your body's defense mechanisms off balance, and shallow or incomplete breathing can turn into a lasting irregular pattern. This is all because our body has a tendency to find comfort in habits, whether a habit begins as comfortable or not.
Grief is not just felt when a family member passes on or when we leave certain places. Grief's presence is also felt once the opportunity for physical bonding is temporarily taken away. Physical bonding ranges from childhood friends playing with one another to college students reuniting using their parents. When we're lonely or depressed from grief, we also tend to detach from, and therefore fail to physically bond with, ourselves. The body become lethargic. We lose movement. We forget how you can be energetic.
Quality time with oneself while grieving is easily the most invaluable gift since it offers strength, respect, and safety. Quality time resets a life.
A Daily Routine
A daily routine that can help me rise through grief includes these steps:
- Hydrate. The first thing I do when I'm conscious that I'm settling set for a bluesy day is set aside a glass of water. Drinking water helps nutrients and toxins move to where they belong. Consequently, I become more clearly focused, which helps boost my mood.
- Collect energy with potassium and protein. With my water, I have either a banana or handful of dried apricots. The potassium continues to bring oxygen and clarity to the mind. Combined with the potassium, I eat in regards to a dozen almonds. Almonds have protein, which supplies strength for our heart and defense mechanisms.
- Allow physical support to satisfy my body. Sometimes grief's hand doesn't let go so easily, and it might take a few minutes or hours to obtain moving. Here’s where lying is still an excellent first step. After positioning myself on my back on the floor (or the bed, whether it's easier), I place a rolled-up blanket or yoga bolster the long way underneath my spine for support. Additionally, I love to have a pillow under my neck. Next, I bend my knees up therefore the soles of my feet are touching the ground. Meanwhile, the back of my hands and forearms come in contact with the carpet.
Allowing my arms to relax at my sides like resting wings opens the shoulders. Then, as I drop toward both sides from the bolster, my chest, heart, and breath all open. I feel light again. I stay for about 5 -10 minutes. Usually, I've an extra layer of clothing on to keep me warm. It is because shivering will push shoulders, chest, and breath back into a stressed state.
- Channel gentle movement. After lifting my “cage,” I find my way onto my hands and knees. I stay with a light breath as I inhale and lift my gaze forward. On my small exhale, I round my spine as my gaze travels to my navel. I tend to do that very slowly for a few minutes. The slower I am going, the greater awake and present I feel in my body, and I wish to keep moving.
- Cheer my chin up. From hands and knees, I come onto just my knees, utilizing a blanket or sweatshirt for padding. I place my hands along invisible back pockets, tighten my thighs and abdomen, and lift my gaze up slightly. I stay looking up a little for around 5 breaths (note: not 5 minutes!), then lower my gaze and release my body system. This, as with the previous two steps, also opens the shoulders and heart.
- Salute snake arms. From my knees, I raise my arms and begin creating “S's” with them. Moving the shoulders up and around gives the body permission to move past the bluesy phase. Sometimes I stay here and other times I make my method to standing, where I grab a belly dancing veil and slow-dance with myself with the “S's.”
- Partner with Gratitude. Whether I start my routine with water and end with belly dancing or whether I simply repeat some heart-opening exercises, I end my day having a short letter to Gratitude. I describe three things I'm grateful for in a journal. Seeing gratitude as a friend, a being, shows our heart that the universe is working with us – we're not alone. The more gratitude we show to ourselves and extend outward, the less fear we'll have along with our grief and loss.
One Step is really a Rise
It definitely takes repetition and effort to keep rising. Like with exercising, we can't just attempt to feel better one time and hope the world follows. But just attempting to do a measure out of this routine each day, be it the same thing or otherwise, can display the mind a wholesome perspective toward rising.
What one thing out of this routine do you consider you'd try? And don't forget, don't be hard on yourself. If nothing sounds interesting, maybe you'll be intrigued enough to create out a summary of other creative heart-openers to help you rise through grief.